By IANS,
London: British Queen Elizabeth II declared the London Olympics officially open early Saturday morning at a spectacular opening ceremony directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle.
Queen Elizabeth II’s announcement was made before an estimated global television audience of one billion and a crowd of 80,000 in the Olympic Stadium, reports Xinhua.
London is the first city to stage three Olympic Games, after the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympics.
Under the slogan “Inspire a Generation,” this year’s Games will also be recorded as the first in which all participating delegations have female athletes.
Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have included women for the first time, and Qatar has named female shooter Bahiya al-Hamad as its flag-bearer.
More than 10,500 athletes from all 204 countries will compete in 26 sports.